In industrial applications, control devices are used to control various remote devices. For example, control devices comprising one or more power switches may be used to supply power to load like, for example, electric motors.
In such cases, the control devices and the remote devices may be coupled via comparatively long lines, for example, up to 100 meters or more. In industrial environments, electromagnetic interference from various apparatuses or devices may cause voltage bursts on the lines, which may adversely affect operation of the control devices, for example, may cause a transistor used, for example, as a power switch to close, i.e., become conductive although it should be in an inactive, i.e., open, state. This may happen in particular in case a load on the line is disconnected, for example, due to a broken connection. This in turn may lead to a voltage building up on the line which may have undesired effects, e.g., may cause a diagnostic circuit coupled to the line to output a wrong value, for example, indicating a short circuit to a supply voltage instead of a disconnected load.